Star: Fernandinho hoping to turn tide

Fernandinho is widely quoted in the Sunday Press today ahead of his expected Premier League debut against Newcastle tomorrow evening.

The Brazilian midfielder has been reflecting on his move to Manchester as well as revealing he turned down the chance to move to two of the Blues’ Premier League title contenders.

The Daily Star Sunday is typical of the many features on the summer City purchase with Steve Millar writing: “The midfield bomber, famed for his lung-bursting box-to-box raids, is out to prove a point on behalf of his compatriots from the land of the samba.

“And that is that Brazilians can adapt to life in the Premier League, with many before him having dazzled and then fizzled out into obscurity.

City have previously brought in the likes of Robinho, Elano, Jo and, more recently, Maicon, all of whom failed to do enough to register their names in lights on the board reserved for Blue legends

...Daily Star Sunday...

“Fernandinho wants to change that and become a City great after signing a four-year deal to bring him in from the cold of Ukraine – rejecting moves to Chelsea and Tottenham in the process.

“He said: ‘If I only wanted money and a comfortable life, I would have stayed in Ukraine. I was in Donetsk for eight years. I was happy there. I won six titles. I knew everyone and I was a big part of the club.

‘But I was presented with the challenge of coming to Manchester City and I am aware that over the last few years this is a project which has grown a lot. The owners and the people who are managing the team want to win titles and big trophies – and I wanted to be part of that.

'I came here to win. Of course, I will be paid as a professional footballer but the only thing I’m greedy for is success.'"

Meanwhile, The Sunday Express believes that the Blues haven’t quite completed their transfer business this summer.

John Richardson links City and a number of other clubs to a Belgian teenager who appears to be attracting plenty of interest. He writes: “City, Chelsea and Arsenal are all attempting to bring 17-year-old PSV Eindhoven winger Zakaria Bakkali to the Premier League.

“City recently sent a delegation to watch the Belgium Under-21 player, who is of Moroccan descent, and are desperate to win the chase.

“But Chelsea and Arsenal have also made it known that they do not want to miss out. Last week, against NEC Nijmegen, Bakkali became the youngest player to hit a hat-trick in the Dutch League.”

Finally, Magpies boss Alan Pardew is quoted - also in the Sunday Express – on what he believes is the growing gap between the title challenging sides in England and clubs like Newcastle.

In Clive Hetherington’s snippet Pardew says: “It’s beginning to be a bit of a concern, the gap they’re opening up to the rest of the Premier League.

“Financial Fair Play was meant to even things out a bit, but it doesn’t seem to have had any impact at all. We can only try to improve with what we have. I do think we will do some business before the window shuts, so perhaps it’s a bit more lop-sided as things stand.

“City are backed by the revenue of a state. It’s very difficult. I don’t begrudge them it. They have a business model and if they can make it work for them, hats off to them.”